Edelbrock Shocks 73-81 B Bodys & most C Bodys

I am working on a mopar most people including mopar owners would not give a 2nd look to...1979 Newport 4 door. It's a very nice survivor/unrestored car but massaged to handle the turns and eat up the interstate or 2 lane. I own it only because my father [now deceased] ordered it new in 1979 and it was given to me in 1990. It is a neat car for sure esp the way he optioned it.

While MoPar calls this car a "R" body underneath it's 73 B body all the way.

In my search for a quality performance shock for the front of this particular car I found nothing was available. I read where the C body guys were converting chevy shocks but I found no one had tried doing this with the late B bodies. I had 20 yr old KYB's on this car. After using KYB's for years I have found they suck in quality for the long term as most cheap shocks do esp when they get hot.

The edelbrock chevy shock #33016 is very close to the legnth of the KYB # 4506, so close that it will work if you shorten the lower portion of the upper bushing 2/3 of its height. You also must push out the chevy pin at the bottom and use the metal sleeve from the donor shock bottom.

For the rear I used the spring plate from a 74
B body which allows the use of the Edelbrock shock that is speced for 70-74 B-E Bodies.

I will post pics of this as soon as I am done but here is a pic of the shocking truth for the front.

One other tidbet-the car was ordered with HD suspension and no one makes a poly bushing for the rear spring shackles which is a dissapointment. The nice lady at ESPO springs n things was surprised to hear of the interesting bushing config ma mopar put back there.

If this car appears in your rear view mirror on the interstate I suggest you move out of the way as this is your wolf in sheep's clothing

OK here is the boring car...but the white walls are gone and there are 15x8 wheels sporting full wheecovers with 245-60-15 Yokohomas now....
The paint/chrome and interior other than the headliner are factory original. The 318 engine has been replaced with a very healthy 360 engine custom built for this type of car. It is correct in appearance for a 1979 360-2 barrel engine. The original 2.45:1 8-1/4 rear differential is now a 2.94:1 9-1/4 & the suspension components/tires have been updated with modern technology.

No power windows and locks, but optioned with 318 engine, tilt steering, delay wipers, light package, halogen headlights, fender mounted turn signals, full gauge/led package, cornering lights, dual outside mirrors, cruise control, power 60/40 split cloth bench seat, heavy duty suspension, body side moldings, a/c, tinted glass all, door edge guards, rear window defogger, full size spare, litter container & am/fm stereo. Unlike the other cars we owned back then, this one was rust proofed with Ziebart; which has actually saved it from rapid deterioration, as these cars were never designed to last more than 10 years.

Your 79 Newport looks a little nicer than mine Mine is kind of a Chamois color with a vinyl top of the same shade. I got it last summer, it had been sitting for years as it only has 47,000 miles on it. There were no keys or title to be found so I had to change the lock cylinders and apply for a bonded title so I could become the legal owner.
Not sure what was standard or optional on these cars but mine is pretty basic. It has power locks, cruise, tilt, A/C, 318 and a leaky heater core

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...I read where the C body guys were converting chevy shocks but I found no one had tried doing this with the late B bodies...

...The edelbrock chevy shock #33016 is very close to the legnth of the KYB # 4506, so close that it will work if you shorten the lower portion of the upper bushing 2/3 of its height. You also must push out the chevy pin at the bottom and use the metal sleeve from the donor shock bottom...

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That's good info, Tom. I have done the same thing for my way-lowered Valiant: I've got QA1's spec'd for GM A-body cars (LeMans, Chevelle, Skylark, etc.), since they're just short enough to be in the middle of the working range for the shock. Press out the foot, change the top bushing, and off you go. The EB's were too long for what I wanted to do, and the QA1 tech advised me to do just as you say: modify the foot to work with the thru-bolt design. It was a piece of cake. I'm now looking to see what I can make work on my 68 Sport Fury, which takes a really short shock like this one. What are the extended/compressed lengths for the EB part you've got? I wouldn't mind running those if I can find the right fit for the front. The rears are cake for me, since I think it shares a PN from the 72-93? 2WD Ram trucks, and is close to the B/E body dimension, too. I just need to measure them to be sure.

The take-home message is that you can't depend on the aftermarket to take care of you, but if you do some measuring and think for a bit, you can probably find something that will work great.

Clair